Language, Identity & Intellect – Finding Connections Where None Exist?

Hi guys!

So today I wanna talk about language – and the things we consciously or subconsciously associate with that uniquely human mode of communication. Language is human, because no other species on Earth, as far as our knowledge is concerned, have or use languages. The writing, reading and speaking of thoughts in the form of words and syllables is a uniquely human phenomenon.

So is language something we get by virtue of being human – like a gift or a prize? Or is it, in fact, a condition for humanity itself? A part of what makes us human?

Or are all these questions a pointless waste of time, finding symbolism and deeper meanings where none exist?

I was born and raised in India, having spent most of my life in the city of Kolkata, to be precise. So I’m going to draw mostly on my experiences from this background, as those are the only experiences I have to draw on. I don’t know if what I’m about to say holds true for the rest of the world, perhaps it does not, but bear with me anyway. ‘Cause this is not so much a discussion on one particular country or culture, but rather a dissection of human response to our ideas of country and culture.

So just for a little background here, for those of you who might not be so familiar with this matter, India is basically a country made out of multiple regions or provinces, each of which have their own language, customs, clothing, etc. It’s basically a tropical Europe, with one constitution. Each state of India has a state language, the whole country has Hindi for its national language (as that is the Mother tongue of most people residing here), and English is just that awkward houseguest that was originally supposed to be a temporary visitor, but ended up just hanging on through it all anyway. The reason it did that, among other things, was because India just has so many languages that nobody could really agree on which of the native languages should reign supreme over the others. After all, nobody likes being considered second-best. So English it was then, the awkward foreigner nobody thought to compete with in the first place, and that’s where we are now!

How many languages you learn as a resident of India, depends not so much on your talent or interest in linguistics as on where and to whom you were born in the country. Now suppose you were born in a Hindi-speaking state to native, Hindi-speaking parents. Well, lucky you! The only languages you need to learn are Hindi – the national language that also doubles as your mother tongue – and English, the international language you’ll probably need to read articles on the internet.

Now suppose you’re like me. You live in a non-Hindi speaking state, with non Hindi speaking parents native to that state. Like I live in the capital of Bengal, and happen to have been born to Bengali parents. Well, things aren’t so bad then. You just compulsorily have to learn three languages – Hindi, the national language; English the international one and whatever your state language happens to be, which also doubles as your mother tongue. Hurray!! The same goes for native Hindi-speakers living in non-Hindi speaking states, as their mother-tongue also moonlights as the national language; they’ve already got that one covered.

Don’t get too happy yet, though. What happens if your parents are non-Hindi speakers, living in a state that is not their native one and also not a Hindi-speaking state?

Well, my friend. To put it simply, you’re fucked. Now you have to learn the international language, the national language, the state language and your mother tongue, all by the time you’re five years old. Because if you can’t manage that? You’re either an idiot or a self-hating traitor, or wait for it – BOTH!

And if you value your own sanity you better pray to God that your parents didn’t get adventurous and marry outside their own linguistic community because then, why even bother? You might just as well denounce society and walk off into the Sahara desert already.

But what happens if you just learn the one (or maybe two) languages you like the best and leave it at that, you might ask? Why not learn just the ones you actually need to use in your day-to-day life?

Well, that’s what this discussion is all about.

Because apparently, if you can’t speak, write and read English like a pro, you’re just a village idiot with no brains and no future. It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor treating poor, sick people in remote areas of the country who’d never have to utter a syllable of English in his entire life if he doesn’t want to. Don’t know English? Yep, an absolute moron.

But let’s say you can speak beautiful English, and just that. Let’s say your parents were diplomats travelling the globe and you never had occasion to learn multiple languages you’d never have to use anyway. Or maybe you’ve spent your entire life in the more remote parts of one of the aforementioned non-Hindi speaking states, and never had occasion or reason to learn the national language. Don’t know Hindi? How dare you call yourself an Indian?! You’re obviously ashamed of your own country’s rich heritage, which apparently includes mandatory knowledge of a language half the population doesn’t speak. You’re a self-hating pseudo-American loser, and that’s that!

Alright then! Hindi and English it is. You’ve learnt both. Can we have some peace now? Well, apparently not. Because how dare you focus on the national and international languages without paying equal attention to your own mother tongue? Never mind that you live in a place where nobody but your dad speaks that tongue. How dare you?!! Arrogant, self-hating, insecure traitor of a ten-year-old, you!!

Okay okay we get it! We’ll learn all three. Happy now?

Nopety nope! Not so fast, buddy.

What about the state-language? You know, the language of that state you’re only living in because your parents have been transferred there for a couple of years, the one you’ll be out of in a little over 700 days and never have occasion to speak the language of again? Yep, if you wanna go to school there, you gotta learn that. Even though everyone in that state already knows at least one of the other languages that you speak, so there’s no communication gap during your short stay to speak of, and once you’re out of that state you’ll never ever need to speak that language again anyway. But not only do you need to learn how to speak it, you also need to learn how to fluently read and write it too. Many states have made it mandatory for schools within their borders to teach their own language to all students enrolled therein, regardless of the preferences or necessities of the students themselves.

Lucky you. Or not.

So why exactly do we as a nation have such a schizophrenic attitude towards languages? What is it that we really even want?

I am not saying that learning new and diverse languages is a bad thing. Quite the opposite, actually. Honestly, to me, there’s nothing cooler than a person who can speak, read and write multiple languages fluently. And there are some children that have a natural facility for learning languages. Who could pick up new languages lightening fast, and I do think that that is an incredible skill to have. My father and grandfather, for example, could read, write and speak in over three languages with equal (and amazing) fluency. That was never a problem for them.

But the thing is, learning multiple languages should be a choice, a hobby that you enjoy and not a necessity, where the inability to do so marks you as a social pariah. Not everyone has the time or even the desire to spend all their time and energy learning the intricacies of four different languages. And the thing is, they shouldn’t have to.

English is just a language, a foreign one at that. It is not, and should not be thought of, as a parameter of anybody’s intelligence or ability. Not knowing Hindi does not make you a traitor, it just means you’ve never lived in the Hindi belt and consequently never had occasion to learn the language with any fluency. If someday you do, maybe you will. And not being a fluent maestro of whatever language happens to be your mother tongue does not make you a self-hating pseudo anything. It just means your family has lived away from their original place of residence for so long that the original language has become irrelevant in your social context. A language is just a string of sounds used to communicate thoughts – a string of sounds the meaning of which nobody else around you can understand is by definition obsolete.

Assigning emotional, cultural and nationalistic significance to a tool (and ultimately, that is all language really is. A tool to facilitate communication) is an exercise in futility, not to mention a breeding ground for identity crises. Which languages you can speak is not a signifier of your loyalties, but simply the natural consequence of your day-to-day necessities. The sooner we as a nation understand this, the less tormented our future generations will be. 
Language should be a fun game, not a terrifying punishment.